Employee opinions from the Trade Registry and TotalSoft regarding the failure of ONRC 2.0

From July 26, 2024, the entire activity of the ONRC will be significantly slowed down. While a good portion of the press in Romania presents laudatory statements regarding the new launch, another part refuses to fully address the issue, the situation is one that severely impacts companies in Romania, making them legally vulnerable and hindering their operations.

The National Trade Register Office has carried out, as the beneficiary, the project“Integrated Electronic System of the ONRC, consolidated and interoperable, intended for e-Government services centered on life events.”, cod SMIS 2014+ 123634co-financed by the European Regional Development Fund, through the Operational Program Competitiveness 2014 - 2020, a project in which nearly 40,000,000 EUR was invested.

After more than 4 years of delays, ONRC has decided to launch the MyPortal platform, as well as the new back-office system, although it is not yet functional. There are numerous indications that the ONRC management was aware of these obstacles and the risks of a premature launch, but did not take them into account.

Right from the second day after the launch, our team identified critical vulnerabilities in the MyPortal.ONRC.ro platform that affected the integrity of personal data of citizens using the platform.

While one of the contractors responsible for the platform deny this accusationThe viewpoints expressed by Minister Bogdan Gruia-Ivan, as well as by the ONRC management in the article below, demonstrate that this is merely an attempt to cover up the identified issues.

Data Breach - National Office of Trade Registry (ONRC)

Details about the data breach that affected ONRC V2.0, impacting over 1 million companies in Romania to a lesser extent, as well as all individuals in insolvency in Romania and users who paid for services through the platform in the first 2 days after launch (~3000 professionals).

Incorpo.ro - Business registration in RomaniaStefan-Lucian Deleanu

While we hoped for a swift resolution to the reported issues and delays, they did not materialize. Therefore, our team has prepared an open letter clarifying the source of the problems, proposing solutions, and presenting statistics identified in the BERC database.

ONRC V2.0 - Open Letter

An effective, functional, and economically viable solution for the issues affecting the launch of ONRC V2.0

Incorpo.ro - Business registration in RomaniaStefan-Lucian Deleanu

Following the publication of this article, the messages contained within it were widely distributed, becoming the subject of various articles. Economedia yes Evz.roamong other things.

In response to the articles published by Economedia, and their widespread redistribution by various print media channels, the Ministry of Justice has requested the ONRC to take the necessary measures, which they provided in a vague statement that I have analyzed in depth below.

ONRC - Analysis of the official communication

In the following sections, we will analyze, in part, each statement issued by ONRC in the latest publication from yesterday. Since the launch date – July 26, 2024 – and up to the present, a total of 145,888 requests for the Trade Register have been registered in the new IT system, from

Incorpo.ro - Business registration in RomaniaStefan-Lucian Deleanu

Since then, we have sought to gather the viewpoints of ONRC employees, unions, and to establish a clear perspective on the causes of ONRC's failure, the estimated future impact, and the pathways that could be utilized to resolve the crisis and operationalize the ONRC platform.

Editorial note:

Opinions should be taken as they are, not treated as sources of absolute truth, and contradictions are clear evidence of the originality of opinions and their proper representation.

I have tried to keep even the opinions I disagree with or suspect to be incorrect, precisely because everyone deserves the opportunity to express their point of view.

Protection of anonymous sources

To protect the identity of certain sources, AI was used to rephrase their viewpoints to eliminate clues about their positions, writing styles, etc., as these could be used to identify sources wishing to remain anonymous.

Changes made:

• ✂Removal of personal information (personal experiences that may be unique to the author)
• ✂Replacing expressions, regionalisms / active tones with a neutral language that is difficult to geographically position.
• ✂Removing temporal indicators to make it difficult to place communications in time.

Need:
The majority of sources have confirmed the existence of an organizational culture characterized by fear, power struggles, and the penalization of integrity and transparency. Consequently, we observe that so far, of the more than 10 employees from ONRC and TOTALSOFT who have contacted us, none wish to disclose their identity.

Direct effects:
The use of AI allows us to retain contextual information (about language) from the source text, thereby providing clues about expression, hyperbole, etc., replacing previous expressions with more complex ones that are harder to follow.

However, AI can sometimes obscure the clarity of data/responses.

Verification of source identities

Validating the identity of whistleblowers with certainty is not advisable, and therefore, we do not have a 100% guarantee that the whistleblowers are employees of ONRC. However, all sources appear relevant and possess plausible internal information that is corroborated by publicly available data.

However, we note the following:

• The whistleblowers have informed us about confirmed or highly probable non-public information.
• They demonstrate in-depth and detailed knowledge regarding the implementation of the ONRC v2.0 project, the internal dynamics of the registry, as well as the operation and functionality of the new platform.
• Some whistleblowers contacted us without pseudonyms, and we confirmed their positions within ONRC / TOTAL SOFT.

We can conclude with a high degree of probability that these individuals are employees of ONRC / TOTALSOFT, although we cannot guarantee this fact due to the anonymous nature of the information.

Issues of the Integrated Information System 2 (IIS2)

Lack of competencies and employees of the contractors registered with ONRC

Whistleblowers are discussing a chronic incompetence of ONRC contractors, an acute lack of qualified personnel to address current issues, and poor management since the inception of the ONRC V2.0 project.

Thus, an employee of TotalSoft S.A., the contractor who developed the MyPortal.ONRC.ro platform and most likely the back-office platform, reports to us that:

So, pay attention here. This project was first won by a large telecom company, which then passed it on to Maguay, and they handed it over to TotalSoft S.A - supposedly specialists, but let the online reviews speak for themselves.

Among the biggest messes, we didn't have any decent business analysts. There were about three who claimed to be specialists, but honestly, they couldn't write a requirement from A to Z. They always sent us back to the "old code," something that seemed written back in the days of Pazvante, with endless classes, from an application that handled both frontend and backend. And we, poor souls, were left to decipher it, and whatever came out, that was delivered.

Another major issue: There were no testers! No one was verifying the code properly; everyone just focused on their own happy path and pushed it to production. Zero integration tests, and often we found that a new release would introduce one feature while breaking three others.

But wait, I haven't started with what I should have. They initially hired a team of juniors from Brașov. Can you believe it? They laid the groundwork for the project, and they were paid for almost two years until they realized things weren't working out and let them go, bringing in seniors. But it was kind of too late, as the deadline had already been postponed about five times, and there was no longer enough time to fix what the juniors had done plus what still needed to be developed.

The cherry on top was when an old 70-year-old Project Manager showed up, supposedly quite the hotshot in his day, who managed everything so closely you’d think he was Big Brother. We had to send him the monthly activity report from Jira at the end of the month, detailing how long we spent on each task, while he grilled us on why it took so long.

The person made technical decisions, unfortunately very outdated, as he only knew the technologies from his time. What JPA, what ORM, what cloud, none of these modern concepts.

After months of constant calls, we had grown disgusted at the thought of opening our laptops. Productivity was at zero. At one point, he told some that if they didn't complete a task by date X, they should resign, and that was the breaking point for many.

Attempts to present modern and efficient alternatives for certain functionalities were always dismissed. We had started to flinch when Teams rang, I don't know if you understand me.

It's a shame about the guys on the team; they were really good. We all leaned on each other for support, but in the end, many couldn't hold on any longer.

The above text, rewritten with AI to protect the identity of the party, effectively conveys the original tone and retains 95% of the information communicated. The whistleblower's conversational tone reflects disappointment and frustration, and the technical details regarding management demonstrate, among other things, that:

• The company has taken shortcuts from the very beginning.even though they received large sums from the project. They hired incompetent people, and the results are evident.
• There is no testing system.even though in this regard 5,500,000 RON has been paid
• The management was clearly flawed. In a subsequent message, the employee stated that if they did not understand the code, they were directed to ONRC staff who were supposed to explain how the application worked, but overall, it was an administrative chaos, lacking a real plan and competent leaders to manage the project.

An employee from ONRC describes that, in fact, the providers are struggling to handle the situations reported by users, citing a severe lack of staff.

What should be published in the BERC when there are so many delays?

There are rumors that some progress may be made during this brief period of calm.

The main issue seems to be that the software development company does not have enough staff to manage such a complex system.

His opinion is confirmed by a TotalSoft employee stating that:

I learned from a colleague that there are at least 2000 error requests for which there seems to be no solution.

For things that have never been tested

The system is so poorly designed that you have to redo the entire application; you can't just fix the issue and be done with it. The problem needs to be addressed to prevent it from recurring in future applications.

In practice, his opinion confirms the issues faced by all professionals, whether they are lawyers, accountants, consultants, or banks, are caused by the platform's poor testing. The requests that were previously stuck do indeed exist, and over 2000 will never be able to be repaired but will need to be resubmitted by the beneficiaries.

The declaration states that colleagues are working overtime to address the issues caused by poor management of the teams at TotalSoft:

Whistleblower
I ask, I haven't heard anything from others.
It forces those of us in Bucharest to go to the ONRC headquarters to work.
I stay up until 2 in the morning.

Stefan Deleanu
Am I paying you extra?
Are you paying for the incompetence of the management?

Whistleblower
They don't pay us anything extra; we are paid for the hours worked, but not at an overtime rate, the same rate applies.

When asked about the involvement of the ONRC management, he stated that Director Valentina Burdescu was misled by demos that did not accurately represent the application's actual situation.

Stefan Deleanu
I want to inform the Ministry promptly about the situation so that they can take action.
The registry is frozen for good days, and it's a hassle.

Whistleblower
Very good
I understand that the former colleagues are being pressured, and that the director is threatened with dismissal by the Minister of Justice.
Work non-stop, including afternoons, weekends, full-time

Stefan Deleanu
Have you established a relationship with Burdescu?
She is the director
Many accuse that she is to blame

Whistleblower
Of course
Join ad-hoc calls with us
He was aware of all the issues.
She was misled by those at TS, thinking the situation was rosy, and had no way of knowing until it was too late.

Stefan Deleanu
Did he/she understand any technical aspects?
These idiots are really annoying
The uncertainty lies in whether she was aware of the problems or not.
The employees at the institution say they might have known.
There are problems, at least with her husband.

Whistleblower
Now it was presented technically, just some workflows that worked because they were rigged to work for the presentation.

Stefan Deleanu
She, her brothers, her husband, and her grandchildren are all in the ORC.
I understand, so proof of concepts
Jesus

Whistleblower
Exact

Stefan Deleanu
Do you know how the girl reacted after the launch?
And what if those at TS have taken responsibility or not?

Whistleblower
They took on the responsibility, that's why they stress out the remaining colleagues.

Stefan Deleanu
I understand. At least it gives them something extra.

Whistleblower
Moreover, they told us that they have a 2-year maintenance contract after delivery, with TS.

Stefan Deleanu
It's not their fault that they were juniors to establish the foundation.
Yes, and maintenance

Whistleblower
It's a kind of "don't worry, there's work to be done."

The file retrieval process is more cumbersome.

The in-person registration process is going very well; however, I've heard that the online system is more challenging. Additionally, the documents uploaded to the portal are minimal. Even the application must be downloaded and uploaded by the operator, document by document, provided that the document is visible.

Behind the scenes of an ORCT, there are a few specialist employees who handle files for 4 hours during public hours. There are also others who process files with special favors from the ORCT director or their acquaintances, as the P.C.R. system (connections, acquaintances, and relationships) is still in play and never truly dies. Certain favored companies need to be "resolved," or some money needs to be funneled under the table with documents prepared by specific employees who have time for this (like BPI, who have no real work, but for whom positions are now being advertised).

Another employee of the ONRC denies this information:

Work at BPI has now changed; they have shifted all operations to the field, and there is a significant amount of work for them as well.

Update August 28, 2024: Another employee states that the situation at BPI is not rosy either, and that people are working, albeit under different conditions and in a different manner.

Contrary to what was raised by the alleged whistleblower, at BPI the workload is significant, with monthly internal reports indicating that there were also over 10,000 monthly requestsWith the average being around 5000-6000 requests per month, it cannot be said that the BPI department is not working hard.

Furthermore, the department in Bucharest has assisted the SRC and SBU multiple times by processing files and entering data into the RBR, resolving declarations of beneficial owners, and archiving them.

Random allocation of case resolutions

Indeed, for example, a file, except for those online which are distributed automatically and randomly (during the Burdeasca course, it was mentioned that they will be assigned based on difficulty, determined by the checkboxes on the application), files submitted at the counter are scanned. In smaller ORCTs, they are scanned upon file submission, but here something comes into play. Some files can be and are processed at the home ORCT, even if they have been automatically assigned to an employee. Anyone can access and work on it, even simultaneously.

Some directors from small ORCTs do this through their employees, but although they have many pending files, they remain unresolved because the registrars do not check them, and they are not processed due to the volume, even though previously, when there were "designated persons" handling files, they managed many more.

That's why I tell you that there is a boycott by certain registrars in collusion with the ORCT territorial directors, even though the registrars have their own special law and have been placed on a pedestal, and are paid handsomely, especially now that after the elimination of the office manager positions, many have suddenly risen to prominence. registrars without any examination.

Different required documents

Confirm this, although each Registry has undergone an internal audit at least every 2 years, somehow the directives from the central office have not been implemented locally, which is an issue with the management of each local office.

Entering the file into the database and uploading the DOCUMENT DESCRIPTION may take significantly more time than entering the modified data through Decisions, rulings, etc.

Moreover, if the file is uploaded online, you need to go through it point by point, even if the company uploaded it, because the entered data may be incorrect, and then who is responsible for the accuracy of the data: the company, the operator, or the registrar... it's a complete mess.

Highlight the fact that there is insufficient personnel allocated for the operation and implementation of changes in the database, which leads to chaos and a buildup of many unprocessed and unresolved files.

Release of documents

Until the documents are submitted, the file must be entered into the database, and there are issues here. Essentially, after the auditor resolves the file, we were told it would be entered automatically, and the certificates would be issued automatically. It seems that is not the case, according to some local managers, and there are a few employees kept here (with connections in cushy positions without accountability) who need to click a few buttons, "to justify their work and job description."

Resolution procedure when employees are on leave

It was not stated that when an employee goes on leave, they will be marked as unavailable, and their files will be assigned to other employees.

This is still not happening, and there is a serious lack of staff for entering files into the database. The most labor-intensive and challenging work is not at the counter/online submission of the file, but in entering the modifications, as there are simple files, but also very complicated ones that require more time.

The poor management of this issue by local directors has automatically led to this chain of problems. That's why I say, from what I see, that it's a boycott the local directors in agreement with some auditors (look at those who are on leave or those who resolve few cases even though they have reached a certain number on the attendance record) daily over 200 files collectedbut I only process a maximum of 15 per day, which explains the long turnaround times for the files).

Unclear online procedure

It is indeed unclear for both entrepreneurs and employees who find themselves with a "green light" but cannot see the documents, which need to be downloaded and uploaded one by one (extra work, but why, since it's online?!). The data provided by the company is incorrect (which means more work to delete and input the correct data).

I mention There are local bosses who send emails and make calls to push their files through, eager to complete their daily logs with as many cases as possible, but there are also bosses who are indifferent to the fate of entrepreneurs, as certain files, just like before, are resolved through favoritism.
This is evident from the fact that older registration date files are not processed and resolved, while newer date files are. already done.

Indeed, the new program is very slow, but that's because not enough people are assigned to input data, even though there is sufficient staff that can be transferred from other departments with less workload, similar to what happened in 2021 during the input of beneficial ownership declarations, when local managers put employees to work hard with the central management's approval, which also applied pressure at that time.

What has changed since then until now? Is it not the dissatisfaction of local directors, who no longer pressure employees as they used to?!

Although people were working for meager wages at that time, with a Union leadership whose office was next to the top boss, any request was met with the response that it endangered the economic and business environment.

There is much to say; I hope you have the patience to read and choose what is most important to convey accurate and truthful information.

Legal assistance service, completely overlooked

All offices have a legal assistance service that, among other things, handles the drafting of documents (resolutions/decisions of the associates and articles of incorporation) necessary for registering amendments or incorporating new companies!

After a few days since the launch, unofficially (there's nothing in writing), the work was requested in the old program (namely CERSERV) because this part seems to have either not been included in the new platform or is completely non-functional!

As expected, all reservations made after July 26 will need to be entered manually into the system we are using, as there is no connection between the two, which complicates operations and leaves employees unable to inform taxpayers when they will be completed.

There are scanning devices and others installed on desks, but they are just there to collect dust!

This fact is reported because it is relevant, but there is much more to say and verify!

Criticism against the ONRC Directorate

All employees who contacted us have directly criticized the ONRC management, some more than others. While according to statistics from Incorpo.ro, professionals in the field (lawyers, accountants, consultants) accuse a broader range of entities as being at fault, employees primarily focus on a single entity, the ONRC management.

The mandate and decisions of Ms. Director Burdescu are illegal.

Dear Mr. Deleanu Stefan,

I am an employee of an ORCT in a legal capacity, and due to threats, I prefer not to disclose my identity to avoid reprisals from the Burdescu family.

First of all, I want to tell you that I have over 10 years of experience in the trade register and I have witnessed the mandates of several general directors of the ONRC.

The atmosphere has never been so charged and conflictual, and I say this because in the last 8 years, since Ms. Burdescu took over the leadership of the ONRC, things have taken a wrong turn, in my opinion.

To avoid boring you further, given that I have seen in your public posts that you are working on a material, I will also share a few details about Ms. General Director Valentina Burdescu. Ms. Director Valentina Burdescu was appointed as the General Director of ONRC following her successful examination at the Ministry of Justice in this regard in the spring of 2016. In this context, after passing the exam, OMJ no. 2835/C/25.07.2016 was issued, through which Ms. Burdescu was appointed for a 4-year term at the helm of ONRC (art. 10 para. 4 of Law no. 26/1990).

I would like to clarify that Prior to the promotion of the competition, Ms. Valentina Burdescu worked at ONRC as the head of the BPI department.After the expiration of the 4-year term as director, specifically on July 25, 2020, Ms. Director Valentina Burdescu was appointed as interim General Director of ONRC by OMJ no. 3077/C/27.07.2020, without the organization of an exam/competition as required by law (art. 10 para. 4 of law no. 26/1990 republished), until the position is filled through a competition, which has not yet occurred to this day.Thus, it is evident that Mrs. Burdescu has served another 4-year term as general director (25.07.2020-25.07.2024). Most likely, this "temporary appointment" was made due to her involvement in the European-funded project for the development of the myonrc portal.

Note Well:The first violation of the law by the Ministry of Justice occurred on July 27, 2020, when it appointed her without an exam or competition as required by the legislation (Article 10, paragraph 4 of Law no. 26/1990, republished), persisting for almost a 4-year interim mandate. The second violation of the law by the Ministry of Justice is that by the time July 27, 2024, Ms. Valentina Burdescu had effectively completed 8 years as general director (4 years with a mandate through examination and 4 years with an interim mandate), which means that according to Article 21, paragraph 1 of Law no. 265/2022 (Article 21(1) ONRC is led by a general director, appointed by order of the Minister of Justice, for a 4-year term, which can only be renewed once, subject to the conditions regarding appointment to the position), she should no longer be the general director of ONRC, since she had a 4-year mandate (2016-2020), which was further extended on an interim basis (2020-2024), and thus could no longer hold this position (not to mention that for the interim mandate she was also required to take an exam or competition to occupy the position as stipulated by the old legislation - Law no. 26/1990, a fact also included in the new legislation Article 21, paragraph 6 of Law no. 265/2022). There is a conflict of interest and a serious incompatibility at the level of ONRC management, which has persisted for over 8 years, due to the fact that the general director Ms. Valentina Burdescu is the direct supervisor of her husband Bogdan Burdescu - the director of the Litigation Directorate, which is directly subordinate to her, thus creating a spousal hierarchy (see MJ Order no. 1520/C/2024 regarding the organization and functioning regulations).

Furthermore, it should be noted that within the ONRC, since the appointment of the general director, numerous relatives have been hired either in key positions within the ONRC (the sister of Mr. Burdescu and her husband), at the ORCT Bucharest, or have been appointed as directors of ORCTs across the country, who are relatives of the Burdescu family (see the case of the ORCT Bacau director, Marius Ipate).

A common practice at the ONRC level is the promotion to leadership positions (such as department head, director, etc.) based on personal relationships or nepotism, by individuals who do not even meet the legal requirements to be a department head (see the case at ORCT Ilfov, where a person is temporarily appointed as department head despite having graduated from the Faculty of Letters and lacking legal training in the field). In the last 6 years, there have been almost no hires at ONRC and ORCTs (except for registrars), even though personnel dynamics have been consistently declining, as the general director wanted to retain the savings from the salary fund to ensure the payment of a 50% bonus on the base salary (for those working on projects, certain individuals were selected based on non-transparent criteria unknown to anyone to be part of the project team), in accordance with the provisions of Article 16 of Law 153/2017 regarding the remuneration of personnel paid from public funds, employees designated in project teams funded by non-reimbursable European funds benefit from an increase in their base salaries of up to 50% applied proportionally to the time allocated to activities for each project.

If you search, you will find it here https://www.onrc.ro/index.php/en/public-information/financial-information/payment-situationStarting from the year 2018, in Title 20 – Title 58.61.01, you will find the employees of ONRC/ORCT and the amounts they were paid over nearly 5 years to work alongside the developer on the program that was supposed to be operational today.

Never, ever, did the general director and none of the members of the project team consult the employees within the ORCTs regarding the improvement and functionality of the future program, everything being done in a typical secrecy of management. The majority of the funds collected during this period were taken by Mrs. Director Valentina Burdescu, approximately 7500 lei/month, followed by her close associates with smaller amounts. To ensure smooth execution of these projects, the Burdescu family established a well-organized structure at the ONRC level, the first step being the subjugation of the union leadership during the period 2017-2023, in the sense that a subordinate, a legal advisor within the Litigation Directorate where Mr. Burdescu Bogdan is the director, was "enthroned" at the helm of the union.

The union president's role was to ensure social peace with the help of the union, so that no employees would revolt, and where someone dared to raise their voice, they were silenced by the Burdescu family, aided by a close associate from the ONRC control body. I specify that in cases where it was necessary, Mr. Burdescu Bogdan (the godfather) and his godson would initiate a disciplinary procedure and conduct inspections to silence those who commented and to show them as scapegoats.

Note Well:As I mentioned in the context of ONRC and ORCT, it is filled with relatives and in-laws of the Burdescu family, with the head of the ONRC control body being another figure who ensures the family's tranquility. Among the 41 ORCT directors, currently only 13 are appointed with a 4-year mandate, while the remaining 28 ORCT directors are appointed temporarily by order until filled through competition, being in the same situation as the general director.

This is the reason why they blindly act on Mrs. Burdescu's orders, forcing people to stay after hours, to come in on Saturdays and Sundays, and to work during public holidays (as was the case on August 15-16), with the directors of the ORCTs fearing they will be replaced by Mrs. Burdescu if they do not follow orders, resorting to threats against employees (a few examples of interim directors include ORCT Timis, ORCT Olt, ORCT Gorj, ORCT Hunedoara, ORCT Satu Mare, ORCT Bacau, etc.).

Theoretically, according to the legislation, all 31 of these directors should have taken an exam to be appointed; however, unfortunately, they have been acting in an interim capacity for over 4 years, precisely to be maneuvered in the interests of those in leadership. The same situation occurs with department heads from ORCTs and ONRC. During the reorganization in July 2024, when the positions of office head were abolished, General Director Valentina Burdescu, in a flagrant violation of the provisions of Article 29 of Law No. 265/2022, arbitrarily ordered the transfer of all individuals holding the position of office head to the position of registrar of the trade register without them having to take an exam/competition as stipulated by the legislation.

Furthermore, the positions of service chief that were created following the reorganization were filled not by those whose office chief positions were abolished, but rather through temporary promotions without a competition (i.e., arbitrarily), by other individuals within the registry who are favored by management (violating the provisions of MJ ORDER no. 1429/C/04.08.2023). As a result, some individuals were made registrars of the trade registry overnight without fulfilling or even verifying the legal requirements.

It should be noted that in the past, upon the enactment of Law no. 265/2022, the General Director violated the provisions of Article 133 of Law no. 265/2022, and instead of reassigning the designated individuals to the position of registrar of the trade register, she organized an internal competition/selection, even though the number of registrar positions available was 124, and there were fewer than 104 applications for the competition (see the material at this link). https://www.onrc.ro/index.php/en/about-onrc/organization-and-functioning/career/internal-selection-registrars)

Finally, I would like to add one last point.

The Director is appointed by the Minister of Justice and can also be dismissed by the Minister of Justice (as stated in Law no. 265/2022), and not by the Prime Minister of Romania.

In other words, at this moment the General Director no longer has a mandate obtained through competition, cannot continue as DG at ONRC as stated above, and due to the disaster created at ONRC, she must resign, all of which can be done simply through an order from the Minister of Justice, Alina Gorghiu.

On behalf of my colleagues in the registry, we thank you for being the voice that helps us escape this ordeal.

Our inquiry revealed that another employee of the ONRC, in a managerial position, informed us that in the latest analysis, only 17 out of 42 counties were found to be applying the internal regulations, and there is a mandate in place:

In the latest analysis, I identified only 17 counties where there are director mandates, while in the remaining counties, they hold interim positions, some for as long as 2-4 years.

The official press release from ONRC, a "Smoke and Mirrors":

An employee claims that the response given by the ONRC is a form of deception, although he later confirms the accuracy of the statistics cited by them:

The ONRC leadership is now reacting due to pressure from the Minister of Justice and is not taking responsibility for the issues.

It can be appreciated that there is very poor management at the ONRC, considering the entire history of the institution.

[Paragraph redacted to protect sensitive information that could be used to identify the whistleblower]

The available analysis is only at the level of mentions and completed registrations, but there are many unfinished files for various technical reasons that the system cannot currently resolve.

The operation is completed when all legal requirements are met, meaning it has been issued, published in the BERC and MO, and registered with ANAF. Currently, these steps are not being finalized.

There are no notifications sent to ANAF, nothing is transmitted to the Official Gazette, which creates an uncertain situation.

Burdescu Valentina, deemed responsible for the issues related to the launch of ONRC v2.0

The employees of ONRC and the unions seem to have a fairly unified perspective regarding the culpability of the ONRC director, Ms. Valentina Burdescu, for the vulnerabilities in the launch and the lack of an effective approach in project management.

With the exception of a single employee who believes that certain territorial directors are themselves responsible for the dysfunctionality of ONRC, as they take advantage of the crisis to settle personal scores instead of taking the necessary measures to put the institution back on track.

The SII2 project was put into use under the pressure of the deadline for European funds, which was set for July 31. Exceeding this deadline would have required the return of the funds.

To provide insight into the current situation and the challenges faced by the personnel involved in the system, additional details are necessary.

This project was developed exclusively by the IT department and Ms. Burdescu with the contracting firms. No one else had the opportunity to express their opinions. Individuals attempting to voice their views were promptly silenced, confronted personally by the General Director, harshly criticized, and intimidated.

The IT team has been significantly reduced, with qualified specialists leaving ONRC. At the national level, IT personnel have been redirected to administrative tasks, now responsible for resolving issues generated by the new system.

The back-office operations are extremely challenging at present. The system's functionality is unstable, processing annotations is problematic, and registrations face major difficulties. Connections with ANAF and the Official Gazette are not functioning properly.

Members of the Burdescu family, seemingly favored by management

Whistleblowers have informed us that several employees within ONRC have been favored due to the delays in the project, receiving monthly salary bonuses for overseeing the project.

The General Director's brothers frequently miss work, yet they appear present in the attendance records through the intervention of the department head, Halip Viorel, who receives generous compensation from European funds. One brother was often found intoxicated at the office.

To examine payments to management and associates, one can consult the ONRC documents: payment situation/title 20, followed by titles 55-56. Beneficiaries include not only the IT staff involved in the project but also other favored individuals. It is noteworthy that the registry directors are absent, except for the ORC Constanța.

The Director's family has an extensive presence in the organization - first and second-degree relatives, plus godparent-godchild relationships. For example, the Director of ORC Iași is a godson. Another goddaughter, Alice Buciu, has received a significant amount of money even though she is just a subordinate manager under her husband.

The monthly payment lists, available since 2020, provide a comprehensive overview of the situation.

Another employee refutes the information about the Director of ORC Iasi:

The ONRC Iasi is a directory and has no connection with the Burdescu family. The director of ORC Bacau is said to be a relative of hers, but this information is merely a rumor and has not been verified.

Payment conditions cited by this:

An additional amount paid from European funds to ONRC employees in January 2020 (document provided by a whistleblower and publicly accessible) is this.

According to the Economedia analysis, GLOBAL RESOLUTION EXPERTS S.A It is carefully managed regarding the European funding project, and it is a company with experience in cybersecurity, even though the project demonstrated serious breaches from the outset.

The amounts have been aggregated based on the beneficiary (Excel Pivot Table):

Furthermore, we can confirm that the Burdescu family has a significant presence in the organization, with the head of the litigation department being a prime example.

Viorel Halip is paid a monthly salary of 2381 RON, while Alice Buciu receives 3729 RON according to the data above. accessible to the public here.

New hires, considered only as a PR strategy

Another employee briefly discusses these facts when we ask for their perspective on the situation regarding the new job offers.

These positions were intentionally kept vacant. Their salary fund was used to compensate ONRC employees involved in projects. With the project's completion, the positions were opened for competition to avoid losing them at the end of the fiscal year, not necessarily out of a genuine desire to fill them.

It contrasts with previous statements about automation and AI implementation, which suggested a reduction in staffing needs. Now, you claim that there is a need for an approximately 25% increase in personnel to handle the current volume of operations, considering the growth in economic activity and the high number of business registrations and modifications.

The announcement seems more like a publicity stunt, lacking a genuine intention to resolve personnel problems.

An employee partially defends Burdescu, accusing the territorial directors.

On the other hand, an employee claims that the directors in the field are also to blame, as they are taking advantage of the operational crisis to settle some debts because the ONRC director made the decision (in Incorpo.ro's view, a good one) to limit the terms of territorial directors to a maximum of 4 years.

Hello!
I want to highlight a few things about what is happening at ONRC.

From what I see, Burdeasca (although it somewhat deserves it now) has taken advantage of and mistreated employees for years, not all of them, as some are well-protected within the ORCTs, while the rest are left to fend for themselves, aided by the local directors.

The general director now sabotaged from withineven by some directors, I don't know exactly how many, but I believe it's over half, because the new regulation states that Directors in the field are appointed for a term, not for life. the directories of directions from the ONRC.

This sabotage is carried out simply: in small and medium counties, more employees are assigned to the counter for only 4 hours of public service, while the rest of the time they supposedly process files received by mail or courier (although there are few), as online submissions go directly to loading/operation in the database.

Another issue: the small number of people entering changes, company registrations, and deregistrations into the database - from 1 employee to none in some counties.

The new program is full of bugs, and with only about 100 people across the country managing the database changes, the errors generated by the system create total chaos.

You can request a statistic: out of 1300 employees, how many are assigned to handle files at the counter, and how many input data into the database. It’s pointless to collect files online, at the counter, by mail, or courier if they are not uploaded, and staff have to be transferred from other services (which are just wasting time).

Preferred ones directors I receive a service order - temporary job description from the territory, even though I am assigned to one service while being recorded in another, to cover for "non-work and downtime." Some are overwhelmed with work, while others are "just killing time."

That's why I say this is sabotage by the regional directors.

The implementation of the DBRs was a real challenge; the regional directors figuratively cracked the whip on employees to ensure everything was loaded quickly and at any cost.

Directors still receive support from registrars. Currently, either they are on medical leave, on vacation, or they handle very few cases. There are counties where, despite having three registrars, not even 40 cases are processed per day, even though each has over 100 to manage.

Request a statistic from the ORCTs on how many cases have been resolved during this period of registrars; you will be amazed that given their pay, they don't even care. They only resolve cases for which they receive phone calls or emails stating urgency because it's for "x" or "y," or because a lawyer complains that their client is losing funds, projects, etc. This is how things are currently done at the Registry.

The leadership of ONRC fully deserves the criticism for acting solely in their own interest, trampling on the rights of ONRC/ORCT employees. However, the chaos is also fueled by certain regional directors who take the opportunity to "get back" at the ONRC leadership for personal reasons.

Discussions among professionals about the Burdescu family's abuses

Several professionals in contact with ONRC employees disclose information regarding the Burdescu family's affairs:

There were known issues with the new platform months before its launch. As evidence, Mrs. Burdescu's husband, who also holds a leadership position in ONRC, stated in the spring that the new system is a disaster and that he does not know what will happen after the launch.

The launch of the platform has been significantly delayed because at the ONRC, led by Ms. Burdescu, substantial funds were taken for the implementation of the respective project using European money. The interest was to extend the duration as long as possible to allow certain employees involved in the project to collect as much money as possible.

This happened until the EU took notice and the ONRC was on the verge of returning the money.

The Burdescu spouses tried to resolve issues through the IT department and began to put significant pressure on the staff there. Coincidence or not, last year or at the beginning of this year, I'm not sure, two of the people who worked in the IT department at ONRC died due to burnout. In Bucharest, again, I don't know if it's a coincidence or not, but only one person remains in the IT department.

Returning to the Burdescu family, two of the lady's brothers work at the archive in Bucharest. They do absolutely nothing.

If they need documents from the archive, registrars must go in person to search for the respective documents, as no one has the courage to say anything to them. Like a gossip, last year shelves for the archive arrived and were stored in a hallway within the ORC Bucharest.

A few days later, they disappeared from the respective packages. The IT team checked the cameras and surprise! The footage showed Mrs. Burdescu's two brothers taking packages with shelves out of the building and loading them into a vehicle.

No one had the courage to report the issue, and everything was covered up. Besides the two brothers, if I'm not mistaken, Mr. Burdescu's sister also works at ONRC.

The whole family, along with their dog and pig, has monopolized the ONRC, and no one dares to say anything.

I have known all of this for some time, but I didn't pay attention at that moment. Perhaps it will be useful to you since I noticed you are very involved in this matter.

As the icing on the cake, some time ago, Ciolacu tried to appoint his good friend, the director of ORC Buzău, as the general director of ONRC.

Guess what? He didn't succeed. He motivated him by saying he tried but couldn't. I wonder why? After all, he's the prime minister.

Frustration about the fairness of job assignments

The following is a subjective piece of information from a former employee of the ONRC, who now works as a legal advisor in another organization.

I worked at a Trade Registry Office (TRO) in a city in the country, starting in the 20##s, after previous experience in a similar institution. I dedicated a significant part of my life to this institution, working with passion and commitment.

The former director acknowledged my skills, and I went through almost all departments: legal, releases, registry, operations, counter, registrations, archive, secretariat, and designated person. I stood out for my efficiency and dedication, especially in the registry department. For me, the Registry was my life back then, often staying late at the office.

When the former director retired, he recommended me for a leadership position. But everything changed suddenly. A colleague from within became the new director overnight, without a competition. He called me in and with a sly smile told me that I wasn't suitable for the role. I was crushed.

I was "thrown" into another department, where I was extremely tormented. I cried daily. I couldn't understand why there was so much injustice. After a period of suffering, with a broken heart, I decided to work for another organization.

The current director continues to "reign" even today, without any exams, with continuously extended mandates. He has promoted whomever he wanted, also without competitions. I face daily hatred and malice from them.

I have observed a toxic organizational culture, with fearful employees and a blatant lack of desire to genuinely help people. There is a "let it be, it works this way" mentality that revolts me. I have always wanted to help people, but the culture at ORC is not about helping; it's about leaving things as they are or even causing harm.

During the implementation of the new system, chaos reigned. Endless queues, frustrated and upset people, files processed at an exasperatingly slow pace. It pains me to see all of this.

It seems there is a high-level mafia controlling appointments and promotions. Incompetent people are placed in leadership positions, while hardworking and honest individuals are sidelined. I feel wronged and angry.

I sincerely hope that someone will succeed in exposing this mafia. Only then will I be able to sleep peacefully, knowing that justice has prevailed. Until then, I fight every day, with tears in my eyes, for a change.

Other issues reported by employees

Most of the communications were either criticisms of the management or details regarding the technical issues affecting the platform.

The archive from a registry, destroyed without measures taken by ONRC

Another 100% real piece of information. Following a storm this summer at a registry, water infiltrated the basement of a building where part of the archive is located. Numerous files were affected by the flooding, suffering significant damage. Although there is a person responsible for managing the archive within the institution, they did not show up to assess and remedy the situation.

As for her husband, he is just as harsh with employees who lack support.

About the Employees' Union of ONRC

For 7 years, the union president was a person from the headquarters, with an office very close to that of the general director.

Employee grievances were often dismissed, receiving responses that they would jeopardize the country's economy or that there were no funds for salary increases.

Employees of ONRC receive a 15% allowance for difficult working conditions. Until recently, when it was capped, there was a different interpretation by the human resources department regarding the calculation of this allowance, although other employees within the ministry receive similar allowances.

Recently, the leadership of the union has been successfully changed, including at the federation level, after a period deemed unproductive by some members.

The new president of the union is from ORCT Olt - Monica Pietriș, with whom the General Director does not communicate. I have heard that there are tensions in the communication between her and the General Director of ONRC, with their meetings described as very tense.

In my personal opinion, the role of a union is to fight for employees, not for the institution, so it is a good sign that there are heated debates between the union president and the institution's director, if the facts are confirmed.

The majority of people have a positive opinion about the president of the ORC union, which demonstrates that she is a good leader. I believe that an efficient institution must necessarily collaborate with unions in managing their operations.

Even though there will always be differing opinions and priorities in any situation, the lack of effective dialogue with employees, which can be more efficiently conducted through representatives, leads to frustrations that diminish the operational capacity of the institution, ultimately affecting the institution itself.

A good unionist is one who has a contentious relationship with management but focuses on finding solutions for the institution that benefit the employees they represent.

If a union (and its employees) aligns its goals with those of the organization, then the organization stands to gain significantly, perhaps even more than if, typically in the West, a union did not exist.

Beware of the "monsters" that take advantage of the ONRC

Behind every statement lies a fear of sanctions for transparency, and a generalized fear. It is by no means normal in an organization, whether private or public, for employees to be so afraid to speak about what is really happening.

Moreover, this fact is exacerbated by the fact that ONRC is a public institution, funded by public money, with its ultimate goal being to serve the public interest.

I told you, whoever can analyze only the expenses that appear on the portal, and if they are also officially requested from them, you will find many. But who has the interest?

Only those who haven't worked on public projects don't know; however, with such a project, you can imagine how far the corruption has gone!

You never know what kind of dragon you'll unleash if you dig too deep!

Some accuse corruption and regulations applied selectively, only for certain individuals:

The current leadership and its entourage should resign.
We hope that all necessary evidence will come to light. All irregularities originating from the top should be uncovered.

It is said that directors are appointed for a term of 4 years.
What is the big boss doing there? She should have left a long time ago.
She has established an authoritarian regime within the institution. She seems unshakeable in her position. She appoints the directors (possibly with unofficial benefits) - it's hard to believe, but somehow the truth must come to light.

Those who did not participate in such practices were marginalized.

All the way from the top, incompetent leaders have been appointed.

The director of a certain county took leave on the very day the new system was implemented. What a coincidence! He left a substitute who, poor thing, struggled to handle the situation.

Often, the end of a discussion with our team would conclude with expressions of frustration, and especially, fear:

Ultimately, these are facts that accumulate into frustrations, but the solution isn't here.

It's important who supports you; they say he might be a man of services, but there's a long way from words to reality.

The traditional saying goes that behind every story, there is a kernel of truth, and too many stories share these common issues from the ONRC, which personally leads me to believe that measures must be taken to prevent the silencing of dissenting voices, and to promote transparency and fairness towards beneficiaries and employees.

ONRC's direction, reactive behavior following alleged discussions with the Ministry of Justice

Two of the whistleblowers cited our messages regarding the directive to work on days off in the field.

The ONRC Directorate kindly requests that anyone interested contact the litigation department (Mr. Burdescu) during business hours.

Dear Madam Director,
Dear Mr. Director,

In the context of the suspension of the National Trade Register Office and the trade register offices attached to the courts for technical assistance work on the integrated IT system of the ONRC (July 19 – 25, 2024), a significant volume of registration requests has been generated. These requests, combined with those existing before July 19, 2024, as well as the large number of requests currently being registered, require considerable effort to be resolved efficiently.

Considering the high volume of requests currently in processing, we kindly ask you to address the staff based on availability. the request to participate in this collective effort on the 15th and 16th of August 2024, which are public holidays.

To compensate for this additional effort, compensatory days off will be granted to maintain an adequate balance between professional responsibilities and personal time.

Please let us know by the end of the program at the email address[email protected]The number of staff who have expressed their availability in accordance with the above.

Subsequently, they modified the message to make it mandatory. The intention was most likely to compel employees to attend, even though it was drafted ambiguously.

The union has reported the abuse by ONRC (It is not correct to require all employees to come to work when not all activities were necessary for the stabilization of the institution, and furthermore, employees have the right to rest and to private life).

The rumors have become widely known in the entrepreneurial environment, with another anonymous source stating that:

According to a source, on Wednesday, no one at ORCTB signed to agree to come to work on the declared days off. A few individuals initially wanted to come for various reasons, but ultimately they abandoned this intention.

It seems that employees are dissatisfied due to the poorly implemented schedule, which creates various operational problems (without specific details).

A particular aspect that has notably upset the employees was the director's attitude. It is reported that, about a week ago, when he received a delegation of lawyers to discuss the issue that arose, the director blamed the employees, claiming that they do not know how to work. According to the source, the director stated that the program is very good, and the problem is that people do not know how to use it correctly.

The employees learned about this discussion and, as a result, decided not to come to work.

The source mentions that it received this information on Thursday and has no subsequent updates. It recommends checking whether any work has been done since then.

Conclusion and editorial perspective

Having gone through all the stories shared by employees, I cannot pretend that I haven't felt frustration. While each account carries a hint of subjectivity, the number of serious situations recounted and corroborated by multiple sources has led me, at least personally, to conclude that the team currently managing the commercial register is doing so inadequately.

I have initiated a comprehensive investigation process to assist in resolving the issues affecting the Trade Registry, to identify the causes, and then to outline solutions for these problems.

Why? Incorpo.ro is a company formation platform; we started our business with the hope of making a positive change and the desire to attract foreign investors to Romania.

For a year, I struggled with the ONRC to ensure the recognition of electronic signatures issued by European providers (this was mandated by law but not implemented due to internal administrative procedures).

However, we did not stop, even though it cost us enormous amounts of money, and at the end of the day, we are still at a loss and hope to recover the funds in time. We did not stop because we understand that if we do, the problems do not disappear; they take root, and thus, the situation at ONRC has affected me quite deeply.

While each employee has expressed their personal frustrations, clearly some are subjective, a few lines remain consistent:

• The ONRC management is flawed, applies regulations arbitrarily, and fights "for themselves".
• ONRC has an internal culture of fear, which hinders the institution from performing and being a positive example for others.
  
  A high-performing institution cannot maintain its upward trend not because it lacks financial resources, but because its voices are silenced.
  
  Before launching the current article, I sent it to whistleblowers so they could express their opinions, whether positive or negative, regarding the release.
  
  I have seen such fear, even though I have taken significant measures to alter any clues to their identity, including tone and writing style. I did not expect to see this in Romania, perhaps only among people from China or Russia, with whom I have worked in the past and who share the same style of hiding from danger and holding opinions contrary to the leader.

Appeal to the Ministry of Justice

I believe that the Ministry of Justice has a moral and practical obligation to take measures to address the reported issues, as they impact the institution, regardless of whether they are real or purely subjective.

ONRC is one of the key institutions under the Ministry of Justice, as it serves as the first step for most institutional taxpayers.

In the absence of an efficient system for company registration and accounting, the economy suffers significantly.

In a period of serious budget deficit, where measures to increase taxation are becoming increasingly less effective at raising budget revenues even in the short term, a functional ONRC becomes even more efficient.

Any request for the dismissal of anyone, whether we are discussing the management of ONRC or anyone else, would be absurd without certain, tangible, verified information.

Ignoring problems in the hope that they will resolve themselves is just as unhealthy - they won't, the crisis is severe.

Therefore, the Ministry of Justice must gather information regarding the subjectively reported issues by the institution's employees, contractors, and former employees, and if confirmed, develop a plan to rectify these matters.

The deadline of September 30, presented as the resolution date for ONRC issues, is becoming increasingly unlikely without serious and urgent measures to get the institution back on track.

On a secondary note, the Ministry of Justice is obligated to directly analyze the situation regarding the conflict of interest reported by the anonymous employee of the ONRC, as well as the situation concerning the non-compliance with orders, since these must trigger ex officio measures, even in the absence of an internal initiative.

Moreover, we believe that such an initiative is unlikely to emerge as long as people risk, or at least perceive that they risk, their jobs when they act in good faith and report issues.

In the tertiary plan, the Ministry of Justice should take measures to investigate the performance of ONRC employees and collaborate with other ministries to operationalize the registry, including the establishment of a task force to address the issues causing successive delays in the registry.

Appeal to the ONRC Directorate

While it is highly likely that nuanced information and decisions may be subjectively interpreted by certain categories of employees, what is certain is that a lack of trust in hierarchical superiors, especially in management, is prevalent.

A lack of trust in direction, or its impartiality, whether subjective or not, leads to a reduction in organizational performance and causes employees to not work together.

Organizations, whether they are companies, state-owned enterprises, public institutions, or even countries, do not operate on a purely autocratic system; a balance between authoritarianism and providing employee security is necessary.

A person who fears that exposing risks or errors in management will lead to punishment will refrain from doing so in the future, to the detriment of the institution.

We believe it would be in good faith for the ONRC Directorate, together with the Ministry of Justice, to initiate an independent investigation into the management of ONRC. It is certain that the launch did not function as intended, resulting in millions of RON in damages to the national economy.

While such actions are no longer subject to criminal penalties and were likely not done with intent, they undermine public trust in the organization. Consequently, organizational measures must be taken to restore the confidence granted to the institution.

Trust in an institution is not built by sweeping problems under the rug, but by openly addressing the solutions to identified issues. No one is foolish enough to believe that the ONRC has no problems, and evidence that these issues are being properly managed would only serve to enhance trust in the institution.

We can ask ourselves why these things are not being accomplished, and what political, strategic, or other obstacles might exist.

On a secondary note, the management of ONRC should be much more attentive and involve their technical team in collaboration with TotalSoft, whose employees detailed that the management was misinformed through demos. If the technical team had been better involved in the project, they could have taken measures during the project's execution to keep it on track and avoid such a failure.

In the final plan, we consider that the management should pass the baton to another general director, in line with the ONRC regulations, as normative acts should not be applied arbitrarily. Now that the situation regarding the European funding project has concluded, the general director should collaborate with the Ministry of Justice to conduct a competition that offers the position of General Director to a new competent individual, who can manage the situation in accordance with the existing regulations.